THORNTON — Police have confirmed that they returned fire at a man believed to be the suspect in the murders in Weld County of his estranged wife and mother-in-law before a man’s body was found in a Thornton apartment early Saturday morning.

Authorities say they believe the body found in the Bravado Viewpoint Apartments was that of Cimmeron Johns, 37.

It is not known, however, whether Johns’ injuries were self inflicted or if police shot him, according to Sgt. Matt Kandt, Thornton police spokesman. The Adams County Coroner’s Office will determine the manner and cause of death, he added. Investigators will also review the shooting.

Johns is suspected of kidnapping and murdering his estranged wife, Alisha, 36, and her mother, Sherri Pachello, 56, on Thursday night.

Thornton police received a tip that Johns was inside the apartment as part of a homicide investigation by Weld County Sheriff’s Department. Police officers found Pachello’s SUV near the apartment.

Multiple people were evacuated from the apartment and they confirmed that Johns was the one shooting a gun. Police then returned fire, Kandt said. Weld County Sheriff’s officials said they believe the man who was holed up in the Bravado apartments was Johns.

Two bodies found Friday south of Dacono have been presumptively identified as Alisha Johns’ and Pachello’s, the sheriff’s office says. One body was found about 11 a.m. near Weld County roads 17 and 4. The second was found about 1:30 p.m. near Weld County roads 15 and 2.

Officials had difficulty recovering the first body, which was found not far from where the kidnapping happened, Bureau Chief Steve Reams of the Weld County Sheriff’s Department said Friday. Water flowing in the canal quickly froze around the body.

Authorities believe Johns may have crashed his 1992 black Mercedes into Pachello’s gold SUV and then commandeered their vehicle, kidnapping both women.

Pachello called her husband at 10 p.m. Thursday, saying she was being chased by someone driving a dark-colored car, Reams said.

She had gone to Johns’ house in Frederick to pick up her daughter, who was visiting her estranged husband. Witnesses also told investigators they had seen the Mercedes chasing another car from Johns’ home.

Deputies began searching and found a crash scene near Frederick, where Johns’ Mercedes had been abandoned.

Recent incidents of domestic violence involving the Johnses have been reported.

According to an affidavit obtained by 7News, Alisha Johns told Frederick police on Jan. 24 that her husband had choked and punched her for two days after he learned she was cheating on him.

She said she had lost consciousness twice during the attacks.

She told clinic staff that her children had gone to stay with her mother after the attacks. At that time, she also told police she did not want to press charges against her husband, and she left the clinic.

7News also reported Friday that on Jan. 28, Frederick police obtained an arrest warrant for Cimmeron Johns for felony assault causing serious bodily injury. He was not arrested before Thursday’s kidnappings occurred.

On Friday, police SWAT units searched Johns’ home in Frederick, according to neighbors.

Johns, who weighed 250 pounds, had nicknames including “Capone” and “Insane,” according to Colorado Bureau of Investigation records.

He had an arrest record spanning 20 years for shoplifting, drunken driving, firing a weapon, car theft, marijuana possession, assault and possession of drug paraphernalia. He also has been arrested three times for domestic violence in 1999, 2000 and 2001.

The owners of Boulder’s Sterling University Peaks apartments, who this summer were cited for illegally subdividing 92 bedrooms in the complex, have reached an agreement to settle the case for $410,000, the city announced Thursday.